In an independence anniversary message to the National Assembly yesterday, President David Granger hailed the contributions of the country’s eight presidents and their administrations and he said the economy must be realigned and jobs created for the `good life’ to be attained.
Read by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, the message by the President will likely be seen as a conciliatory gesture to the opposition coinciding with 50th anniversary of independence and the one-year anniversary of the APNU+AFC government.
Critics have said that in the year that it has occupied office the government has made little effort to reach out to the opposition PPP/C.
Significantly, Granger also recognized those who were engaged in the fight for political independence including late President and PPP Leader Dr Cheddi Jagan.
“Guyanese, today, pay tribute to the generations of men and women who were part of this historic and heroic struggle for self-determination. We can enjoy freedom today because of their consciousness, their courage and their commitment to the cause of freedom.
“We pay homage to all those who were part of this process. We recall the martyrs of the Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo revolts during the dark era of enslavement. We recall the martyrs of the protests at Leonora, Devonshire Castle, Rose Hall, Ruimveldt and Enmore, during and after the era of indentureship. We recall the labours of Hubert Critchlow, Cheddi Jagan, Forbes Burnham, Peter D’Aguiar and Stephen Campbell, which eventuated in national Independence”, the President said.
He also recognised the country’s heads of state, David Rose, the first Guyanese Governor General, his successor Edward Luckhoo and Arthur Chung, the country’s first President.
“Our people’s ardent aspiration and arduous struggle for political Independence moulded our national identity. Independence infused the qualities of audacity and tenacity in our people. It fortified our determination to be masters of our own destiny. It created new institutions on which to erect the pillars of the new nation”, he said.
Later on his message, Granger recognised by name the country’s eight Presidents, eliciting desk thumping from the PPP/C when the names of former Presidents Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar were mentioned. Jagdeo, now Opposition Leader, was present in the Chamber at the time.
“Guyanese, today, pay tribute to their leaders, who had the vision to have guided, and the endurance to have sustained the nation during these past fifty years. We recognise the contributions of our eight Presidents – Arthur Chung, Forbes Burnham, Desmond Hoyte, Cheddi Jagan, Samuel Hinds, Janet Jagan, Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar – in leading this nation over these difficult years”, the message stated.
Earlier, he had said that successive administrations throughout the 50 years had continued to add to the country’s national assets and to supplement its public infrastructure.
Restating that the country will embark upon a `Green Development Plan’, Granger’s message argued again that the bases of the traditional economy have to be shifted.
Noting that within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Guyana has pledged to eradicate extreme poverty and halve all other forms by 2030, the message said a realignment of the local economy is necessary to generate the necessary wealth.
“Guyana’s economy will be enriched by the discovery of petroleum. We look forward to preparing our people and the economy for the exploitation of this rich resource. We shall create a sovereign wealth fund to ensure that all generations benefit from the gains that are expected to flow from this discovery.
“Our national economy must be reshaped to reduce our dependence on the six sisters – bauxite, fish, gold, rice, sugar, and timber. Guyana’s economic policy over the next four years will be determined by the transition to greater value-added production”, the message said.
He acknowledged that the aspirations for a `good life’ – his coalition’s election promise – cannot be attained fully unless employment can be guaranteed and created for the working people.
“The ‘Independence Covenant’ cannot be fulfilled unless workers find remunerative and gainful employment in order to provide for their needs and that of their families.
“Guyana, over the next fifty years, must be a nation at work, employing the talents and skills of all persons of working age. The provision of employment for our young people remains an economic priority.
“Employment will be created through a raft of policy measures including encouraging investment in labour-intensive and ‘green’ jobs; cottage industries within communities; microcredit for small-and medium-sized industries and promoting entrepreneurship among young people”, the message stated.
Inequalities
Contending that independence came with the expectation that the inequalities of the colonial society would be eradicated, Granger said that progress has been made and efforts will continue to tear down class and geographic inequalities particularly between the hinterland and the coastland and urban and rural communities.
“Guyana’s hinterland possesses its richest natural resources. The hinterland, despite this endowment, remains underdeveloped and plagued by poor infrastructure and environmental hazards. The disparities in development and in households between the hinterland and the coastland must be reduced if we are to become a more equal nation.
“We will continue to work towards the development of an inclusive and integrated plan to close the gap between hinterland and coastland. The plan will involve improved internal communication – aerodromes, bridges, causeways, highways, stellings and telecommunications – and public services such as education, health, human safety and social security”, the message said.
He pledged equality before the law and equal protection of the law.
“This includes the guaranteed rights of citizens, equality for women and the participation of citizens in the decision-making of the State, in accordance with the Constitution. We will achieve these through the institution of an inclusive system of governance and the holding of regular, free and fair elections”, Nagamootoo read from the message.
Granger’s message stressed that education offers a pathway from poverty and declared that Guyana must ensure that the right to primary and secondary education at state-owned schools is accorded to every school-aged child.
Positing that Guyana has been a leader in the fight against the impacts of climate change, the message said that a green economy will ensure a clean environment and ensure that the country’s energy needs are met from sustainable sources.
The President’s message also reflected on the territorial threats that Guyana faced at independence from Venezuela and Suriname.
“We resisted threats to more than two-thirds of our territory by Suriname and Venezuela for fifty years. We repelled an incursion into a large part of country claimed by Suriname. We suppressed an internal insurrection in the Rupununi. Our nation has faced tribulations. Our people’s unity, our will and strength, enabled us to overcome these threats”, the message said.
The President’s message also lauded the foreign policy achievements of the post-independence government.
“Guyana, once independent, embarked on a progressive foreign policy to protect its vital national interests. It bestrode the international stage with a composure and posture, which belied economic wealth or military might.
Our leaders, however, had the vision to pioneer the formation of the Caribbean Free Trade Area, the Caribbean Community and the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of states and to play leading roles in the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations.
“Guyanese, today, recall their audacious and principled stance in support of the liberation of colonial territories and the termination of apartheid in South Africa. They took pride in these achievements, which were led by a corps of outstanding diplomats”, the President contended.
